Phaleria Explained
Phaleria is flowering plant genus of about 20–25 species in the family Thymelaeaceae.
Uses
Some species, like the mahkota dewa are known to produce agarwood. Many others have long histories of use in traditional medicine like delal a kar (which translates to "the mother of medicines") which is used as a panacea by Palauans.
Species
- Phaleria acuminata - Fiji, American Samoa, Tonga, Western Samoa
- Phaleria angustifolia - Fiji
- Phaleria biflora – Qld, Australia endemic
- Phaleria capitata – salagong-gubat (Sri Lanka, Palau, Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo, Java, Philippines, Sulawesi, Moluccas, New Guinea)
- Phaleria chermsideana – Qld, NSW, Australia
- Phaleria clerodendron – scented daphne (Qld, Australia)
- Phaleria coccinea – New Guinea, New Britain, Moluccas, Philippines
- Phaleria disperma – Fiji, Niue, Samoa, Tonga, Wallis and Futuna
- Phaleria elegans – New Guinea endemic
- Phaleria glabra - Fiji, Tonga
- Phaleria ixoroides - Fiji
- Phaleria lanceolata - Fiji
- Phaleria longituba - New Guinea
- Phaleria macrocarpa (Syn.: P. papuana) – mahkota dewa (New Guinea, NT, Australia)
- Phaleria montana - Fiji
- Phaleria nisidai - delal a kar (Palau, New Britain, New Guinea)
- Phaleria octandra – dwarf phaleria (New Guinea, Moluccas, Lesser Sunda Islands (Timor, Flores, Lombok, Bali, etc.), Java, NT, Qld, Australia)
- Phaleria okapensis - New Guinea (Papua)
- Phaleria pentecostalis - Vanuatu
- Phaleria perrottetiana – New Guinea, Moluccas, Borneo, Philippines
- Phaleria pilistyla - New Guinea (Papua)
- Phaleria pubiflora - Fiji
- Phaleria pulchra - Fiji
- Phaleria sogerensis – New Guinea
- Phaleria stevensiana - Sulawesi
Taxonomy and phylogeny
Phylogenetic analysis shows that Phalerias closest related genus is Dais, both of which are members of the Thymelaeoideae subfamily of the Thymelaeaceae family which contains 941 species in 48 different genera according to the Catalogue of Life. The next closest related genera is a clade containing Gnidia, Stephanodaphne, Dirca, Ovidia, Peddiea, Pimelea, Struthiola, Lachnaea, Passerina, and Passerina.